Planted Freshwater Tropical Aquarium: Hobby of the Moment

I’m always picking up new hobbies like a bad cold. I get one little germ of inspiration and I begin cruising craigslist for tools and goodies for my latest endeavor. Eventually the germ spreads and I’m sick with it, obsessed. So it was with planted freshwater tropical aquariums. I noticed at my friend Liz’s house how pleasant it was to look at a fish tank. I love gardening and was intrigued by the underwater gardens you could build in aquariums. Eventually, I started cruising the internet to read freshwater tropical blogs, then buying books, then stalking the employees at my local fish shop, then getting a tank and next thing you know I’m dropping nearly two hundred dollars on wood and lights and sucking fish crap out of a 30 gallon tank that defies the lease agreement on my house.

The sucking fish crap really came as a surprise. I was told I would be getting a gravel vacuum. I pictured something with a pump or automated suction. No. You suck on a tube like you’re siphoning gas and if you are new, and unsure and don’t suck hard enough you get a mouthful of nasty fish water. Then you run to the bathroom and brush your teeth until your gums bleed. YUCK.

Aside from that, I’ve really loved owning a fish tank. It has honestly provided hours of nerdy enjoyment. Even Mr. Man likes watching the tank – from the other room I’ll hear, “Babe, the bichir’s carrying around the algae pellet like a Frisbee” He’s even named the little beast “porkchop” after Sandy’s biker friend.

I decided I will keep a sloppy and infrequent account of my aquarium as I transform it from a plain, overpopulated tank to a thriving, planted community aquarium.

Here’s how it all began:

$65 – Found 30 gallon aquarium on Craigslist for $65. The tank came with Penguin Power Filter, 20 Watt fluorescent lighting with hood, water testing kit, heater, net, fish food, gravel, gravel vacuum (aka hose) and:

· One 8” Pleco

· One 4” Rainbow Shark – a real beauty

· One 5” Pictus Catfish – spastic

· One 3” Albino Gold Bushy Nose Pleco (I think, it does not have a bushy nose)

· One 4” Bichir – Skinny thing, very charming

· One 2.5” Glass Cat Fish

Here is what I’ve changed:

$106 – over doubled the light wattage – its now up to almost 1.8 watts per gallon to support plant growth. $20 – Added a plant friendly substrate under the gravel. $65 purchased large pieces of interesting driftwood. $15 purchased an Anubis, giant baby tears, sword plant and one other plant – many more to come.

Fish:

· Pleco – Donated to a great local fish shop – he was too big for tank

· Pictus – Donated to a great local fish shop (GLFS)– he was too high strung

· Rainbow Shark – Went to GLFS – sad to see it go, so pretty but a predator and I noticed the barbs I added had fin nips

· Glass Cat Fish – Dead. Not sure why. He wasn’t in good shape when I got him. I like to think it was old age.

· Added: 8 Striped Barbs

· Added: 3 Powder Blue Gouramis – very pretty. Nice addition. They seem to get along well with others.

Current Population

· Albino Gold Bushy Nose Pleco

· Bichir – I know when he is larger he will prey on the community but Mr. Man and I have become attached to him. The previous owner had him for 3 years and said he has not grown during that time. Very strange.

· Striped Barbs ( – Fun – they like the current from the filter and get glowy red when fed.

· Gourami – they get along well in the tank and are pretty fish.

I have just a bit of room to add 1 or 2 more fish. Any suggestions of what would work in this community?

Photos on the way

Summer Goodies - Order in

I just placed my summer plant order with Territorial Seed Company for the following goodies:

Here is what I got:

Sweet Basil

Bonito Ojo Tomato This is a early maturing variety. From TSC website: “Large, determinate (bush rather than vine) plants produce 2 1/2 inch round, thin-skinned, juicy, red fruit on trusses of 7-9.”

Chocolate Cherry Tomato

Dusky Eggplant - I am very fond of this eggplant.  It performed very well in the short-seasoned, poor summer that we had in the Pacific Northwest last year.  I had several lovely eggplants on one plant.  This year I ordered two Duskys to keep me in baba ganoush for the summer

Oregon Cherry Tomato - I grew these last year and was very happy with the results. Small, tasty cherry tomatos.  Last year was not a good year for tomatos as it was a cool summer.  This variety managed to produce two decent crops of tasty little gems.

Siletz Tomato - This is a new one for me. These are parthenocarpic (seedless) and bred to develop early in western Oregon’s climate.

Twinkle Eggplant - This is a new one for me. Small little orbs of eggplant. Yum.

I should get these plants in late May and get them in the ground by June 1.  Hope its warm by then.  I will keep the blog updated.  Pictures coming soon.  I just found my camera!

What to do with radishes?

Soon I will have a big crop of radishes – which are the first harvestable crop in my square foot garden. I’m trying to find creative and tasty recipes featuring radishes – I’m bored of just throwing radishes on a green salad. Here is a recipe from Bon Appétit for radish dressing on a green bean salad that I found on epicurious.com – I’m going to give it a whirl when more radishes are ready to be pulled out of the ground. Has anyone tried roasted radishes? What about radishes on butter with bread. Both sound odd to me but depending on the garden yield I might have to check it out.

Green bean, red onion, avocado salad with radish dressing

Ingredients
5 radishes, unpeeled, trimmed, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 pounds slender green beans, trimmed
1-2 Avocados
1 red onion, thinly sliced (try soaking onion slices in apple cider over night for a bit more tang)
2 large radishes, sliced paper-thin (optional)

Preparation
Place 5 radishes in processor. Add oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic; process until thick dressing forms. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring just to room temperature before using.)

Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain beans and rinse under cold water. Drain and pat dry.

Place beans, sliced avocado and onion in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

2008 Square foot garden - 2nd Square

This weekend I planted the second square — one more to go. Between the two planted beds here is whats growing so far:

Strawberries - From plants I put in last year. They already have new growth.

Scallions - Transplants - I get my transplants from Portland Nursery

Peas - from seed. Alderman and Oregon Trail
Broccoli - Transplant “Packman”

Cabbage - Transplant

The second bed now has 4 squares of peas, 6 squares of cabbage (this is a new crop for me) and 6 squares of broccoli (I tried to grow broccoli last year but was not successful - I think it went in too late in the season)

Gardening Bug

Last week I received a copy of the Territorial Seed Company Spring 2008 catalog in the mail. It inspired me to think about my square foot garden which has been tucked away under a layer of crimson clover and rye grass and neglected since October. But February is approaching - pea planting month - and I’m starting to get excited about working on the garden again. Here’s what I’m thinking for the month of February: Mid February - work the rye grass and clover into the soil, add compost and to-be-determined soil amendments. Plant flowers(?) plant peas. March –  plant radishes, lettuce, cabbage. April - plant beets, carrots, chard, transplant broccoli. In May I will plant herbs and flowers in their dedicated square. Early June I will plant tomatoes and eggplant. I have poured over the Territorial Seed Company catalog and have selected the following items to plant:

Shelling Peas — “Plant these 3 shelling varieties at the same time and harvest fresh peas for the kitchen over a 2–3 week period. Consists of 3 packets, 1 each of Oregon Pioneer, Alderman, and Galena.”

Beets - Kestrel Organic

Eggplant - Dusky. I was very impressed with this eggplant. This last summer was not a warm one but these Dusky eggplants thrived and produced tasty, good-sized eggplants. Yum! This yea I am going to try the Fairy Tale Eggplant too.

more to come..

Meanwhile here are some goofy garden plans:

Blue-Cheese-Crusted Steaks with Red Wine Sauce

This broke many of my eating rules: It is meaty, heavy, requires more than one pan to prepare and the kitchen wound up messy. It is not a dish that I will make again but I believe it has the potential to be much tastier than I made it. Maybe even four-star potential in another kitchen. Let me tell what I did wrong: Mistake #1: This recipe originally calls for filet mignon. I didn’t want to spend much money so I bought a couple of flat iron steaks from Trader Joes. Mistake #2: I bought the steak from Trader Joes, right as an employee was loading up a shopping cart with old meat that they were going to throw out. You’d think that would trigger a caution signal in my head – it turns out my cheapy flat iron steaks did taste cheap and old. Mistake #3 I thought I had planko in the cupboard but, no, it was just plain ol bread crumbs with Italian seasoning – that seasoning threw the dish way off. Thank God for the red wine sauce. I love, love, love the red wine sauce in this dish – I would of put it on everything on the plate except I did a little too much reducing and ended up with a mere ½ cup. Surprisingly this turned out to be a pretty good meal after all of the goofs – a little strange tasting with the Italian bread crumbs but satisfying in a rich, hardy meal type of way. I really believe this would be an excellent dish for someone who likes steak if done right – It was also a rather unphotogenic dish but I will post the photos soon.

Here is the recipe from Bon Appétit November 2003

Blue-cheese-crusted steaks with red wine sauce

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 cup low-salt beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup coarsely crumbled Maytag blue cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

4 1-inch-thick filet mignon steaks (each 6 to 8 ounces)
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallot, and thyme. Sauté until shallot is tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth and wine. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes. Set sauce aside.

Blend cheese, panko, and parsley in small bowl to coat cheese evenly with panko. (Sauce and cheese mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.)

Preheat broiler. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to rimmed baking sheet; reserve skillet. Press cheese mixture onto top of steaks, dividing equally. Broil until cheese browns, about 2 minutes. Transfer steaks to plates.

Pour sauce into reserved skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Boil 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce around steaks and serve.

*Available at Asian markets and in the Asian section of some supermarkets.
Makes 4 servings.

 

The Car Stops at Clemente’s

Clemente’s Fresh Seafood Restaurant and Market
1335 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR 97103

D and I hopped in the car and headed to Astoria. I needed to get out of town. I’m feeling oppressed by all this winter-cold. I’m a California girl for goodness sake and this food blog is the ultimate testimony to what this dreary PacWest weather has done to me. Whoa, that is not what I intended to write about. This day turned out to be a good antidote: the drive was lovely, the sun was out and it felt good to be exploring. Although I’ve been in the area for almost a year I had not ventured all the way up to Astoria. I’ve always wanted to go to Astoria but I didn’t always know it. What I mean is I remember watching the movie, Goonies, and thinking “what a lovely town, where is that, I’d like to go there some day.” About 20 years later I was on my way. By the time we pulled into town the sun was nearing the horizon and our explorations of the city did not make it past the first window that said “fish and chips”. “Fish and Chips” D says, “You want to stop?” says I, “Yea!” says D, EEErrrrrrrrrrrrrrr – says the car breaks. And we came to a stop in front of Clemente’s.

What luck it turns out. Clemente’s is housed in an open and airy brick building (or was it wood?) with big windows all around, small wooden tables, worn wooden floors (or was it black and white tiles?), white table cloths and a big glass case full of fresh fish. The restaurant recently changed ownership (but stayed in the family) and is now in the hands of a really good looking young husband and wife team that seem to be from Boston. They are part fish market, part newly-expanded restaurant. When we asked about Dungeness crab the husband, who is also the waiter, mentioned that his brother-in-law was out fishing for more. The stuff here is FRESH.

We were quite hungry and decided to kick off the meal with Calamari Frito Misto (I think that’s what they called it) which was lovely. The calamari was super tender, the batter was light and the dish was served with a lemon-rind aioli. Clemente’s deep fries all of their fish in rice oil which I guess is healthier. D went straight for one of his favorite dishes, Salmon fish and chips and I chose one of their remaining Dungeness crabs which I had not indulged in since the one I had two seasons ago. Oh yea, we had to get some clam chowder too – quite indulgent for a couple who is always broke. Everything was really good. D dug his Salmon – I tried a few bites and it tasted fresh but I like my Salmon really simple – its already so rich I don’t need it battered and deep fried. But for my mate, who has eaten deep fried bacon more than twice, it was good stuff. The chowder was a little rich for my taste as well – super tasty but I’m not a huge fan of thick chowders. The crab was a nice treat of sweet meat. I’d definitely go back to Clemente’s. The food is really good, the place is charming, the owners are friendly and most important their seafood is incredibly fresh – I look forward to sampling more simple preparations of their freshly caught bounty.

Chang’s Mongolian Grill

Background: I love places where you get to assemble your food and have it cooked for you. Better yet, cook it yourself like you do with Korean BBQ. It is fun and proactive. I first heard about Mongolian BBQ 3 years ago and I always promised myself I’d check out Kublia Khan’s in San Francisco on Polk Street – a place I’d heard about but never actually spotted. One time I stumbled across a place in Daily City but it was closed. Thanks to D, I’ve finally got my Mongolian BBQ. Whew.

Typically when headed north on the I-5 I blow right past THE CLUSTER known as Jantzen Beach. But, on tip from D, today’s journey took me to the land of strip malls with skanky outlets, fastfood stops and acres of parking lot. Nestled in the heart of this cluster off the I-5 is a hot, round Mongolian (really?) grill cooking up a hodgepodge of veg, meat and sauce. You really can’t go wrong at Chang’s and if you do it’s your own fault. This is an assemble-your-own type of joint. Just belly on up to the buffet and load up a bowl with raw meat (choices range from beef and lamb, to cod and shrimp), noodles, veggies and a variety of liquids to make your own sauce. And when I say sauce I mean sauce, pools and pools of oyster juice, sugar water, ginger, sesame oil that you pour on your solids in good faith. Okay, so you got your bowl of raw meat and veg –now follow the heat wave to the large convex wok manned by Mexicans with spatulas and scrapers - these boys will be cooking up your concoction and handing it back to you on a plate.

Say your mix is off, no worries, Chang’s is all-you-can-eat. My tips: use lots and lots of sauce and steer clear of the sesame seeds which tasted a little rancid. Once you’re back at your booth a waiter will come by with those moo-shoo pork type of wrappers and some rice. Tons of fun. Chang’s itself draws a diverse crowd and the night we went I saw a large Mexican family, a butch dike couple, two black men eating alone, a table full of fatties, a bored old white couple, two hot cheerleader types and a Filipino girl in a wheelchair. Add the end of the meal they serve a little dish of vanilla soft serve. All this for $10 a person.

Chang’s at Jantzen Beach Shopping Center

Photos forthcoming

I did it. I made the best chicken ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While cruising Epicurious for the easiest recipe involving chicken with a four-fork rating I stumbled upon “My favorite Simple Roast Chicken” a recipe by Thomas Keller. It turns out Thomas is a big shot chef at French Laundry and even has his own Wiki entry. This recipe definitely has the Epicurious seal of approval with over 156 reviews stating 96% would make the chicken again - but what sold me was that the recipe has 6 ingredients including salt, pepper and chicken and the remaining three ingredients are optional – plus making it requires only one pan. SOLD, sign me up – baby we eat’n chicken tonight (and this aint no popeyes). I went to Trader Joes (Eerily, always populated with good looking people) and sprung for the $11 4.45lb Organic chicken. Bee-gok! The injected, hovelled and hormone-laden chickies go for about half the price. Free Range, Organic – my chicken ran in open meadows, ate sprouted grains and TASTED DAMN GOOD coming out of my oven. I was shocked, and let me tell you why.
I am new to this cooking thing so I expect recipes to be complicated. As thebrowns2 noted on epicurious, “The hardest part of making this was looking up info on how to truss a bird.” I had to google this as well, Oh, I get it – you tie its legs together. After that Thomas instructs us to dry the bird off with some paper towels and get the oven nice and hot at 450 degrees. Sprinkle that bird with some salt and pepper and pop it in the oven. Then, nada. None of that basting stuff I’d seen relatives do at thanksgiving. Keller has this whole “keep the chicken dry” approach – I don’t know the workings behind the theory but he has discovered that non-basted chicken = juicy, juicy chickies. You take it out an hour later and you have SOME OF THE BEST CHICKEN I HAVE EVER HAD. Fans of this recipe have left some helpful comments on Epicurious – I guess a handful of them experience super-smoky kitchens. One remedy proposed was to line the bottom of the pan with potatoes which I did because, well, I like potatoes. The POTATOES TURNED OUT BOMB as well (that means good). Cause not only is the chicken juicy but its juice is tasty and potatoes seem to soak up juice quite well. My parting words for this blog entry are that this chicken was really really really good. And I feel very accomplished for cooking something so yum. Yum. This is my third delicious dish – I’m on a roll.
Ps. I don’t have pictures ‘cause when I took it out of the oven I was too excited to eat it. But I am making it again so I’ll add photos soon

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter
Dijon mustard

Preheat over to 450F. Rinse the chicken with water and dry it off inside and out with paper towels. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of salt all over the chicken and pepper to taste. Show the chicken whose its daddy by trussing it with twine. Cut some potatoes and line the bottom of the pan if you wish. Place chicken in roasting pan and put it in oven for 50-60 min. Take the bird out and let it rest on a plate for 15 minutes. Now you can throw some thyme in the juice and baste it if you want. Thomas throws the mustard and butter in there as a dip or spread.

Pumpkin Sage Pasta Take 2

Okay, I give up. If I learned anything in my second attempt at making this recipe yummy it is that 1 cup of cream is not necessary. I revamped the recipe from Pumpkin Sage Pasta Take One – reducing the amount of cream by 3/4^th of a cup, upping the pumpkin and adding vegetable broth and nutmeg. Guess what? It tasted exactly the same. In both dishes it was hard to taste the pumpkin all the flavors in general were muted. I love the idea of this pasta, though. Does anyone have a yummy recipe with similar ingredients?

PUMPKIN SAGE PASTA SAUCE
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup broth
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan
• 16 leaves fresh sage, sliced into thin strips (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 Cloves of roasted garlic
  

Make the sauce: Combine the cream, pumpkin puree, Parmesan, sage, salt, garlic and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer the mixture until slightly thickened — 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Toss with cooked pasta and serve immediately.